Footballer’s brother jailed after terrorising own family and smashing into home with paving slab
A man who terrorised three members of his family including a professional footballer with threats of violence, rape and death has been jailed for more than seven years.
Dane May’s disturbing and relentless behaviour against two siblings and their mother over 18 months culminated in a terrifying bid to attack one brother with a paving slab after smashing his way into his home.
Dane May was jailed at Maidstone Crown Court. Photo: Kent Police
So alarming was the drug addict’s vendetta against his relatives that his mum was forced to move house for her safety and his youngest brother – League One striker Alfie May – installed high-tech security at his home and worked out ‘escape plans’ with his wife.
In one particularly sinister message sent to his oldest sibling Sam May he warned: “I always said you would see me on the news and on the front page of every newspaper for what I would do to prove how f***ed up I really am.”
Details of how the lives of Sam, Alfie and their mum Deborah Rawlings were targeted by the 38-year-old before he erupted in violent rage on April 30 last year were revealed at his sentencing hearing for three offences of stalking from November 2023 and attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent in April last year.
Maidstone Crown Court heard that after Dane inherited £120,000 from his late father at the end of 2023, the family believed he used the money to fuel his drug addiction.
It was also said there may have been “some dispute” over the division of assets from the estate.
However, although regarded as “a friendly, affable and good brother” when not abusing illegal substances and alcohol, while intoxicated the defendant became “highly abusive and threatening,” said prosecutor James Benson.
It is said he expressed resentment at his siblings’ happy and successful lives – before matters came to their ugly conclusion in what the prosecution said was an act of revenge carried out under the mistaken belief that his family had given statements to the police.
Alfie May plays for Huddersfield Town. Picture: Richard Sellers/PA Wire.
In the build-up to that particular incident, Sam May had been on the receiving end of threats of violence from his brother as often as three times a week, resulting in him taking steps to protect his family by telling his sibling he was not at his West Malling home, explained Mr Benson.
However, on one occasion, Dane went to the length of flying a drone over the property in an attempt to prove he was lying, and another time rammed his Ford Ranger into the front security gates.
He would also turn up at his house demanding to be let in, or call ahead warning: “I’m coming to get you. You’d better open the door.”
In another threat, he told construction firm boss Sam: “Do you not get how dangerous I am? Tonight you can die with me.”
Matters escalated in the two weeks before his arrest, with the defendant visiting his mum’s in a “very angry” mood, threatening to break in and burn the house down.
Around the same time, he phoned Sam, threatening to kill him and rape a young relative, and then bombarded him the following day with hundreds of messages and death threats.
Then, on April 29 in what sounded like a drunk and drugged state, he again phoned Sam, ordering him to retract his police statement and, swearing on his own daughter’s life, warned: “Your family will watch me kill you”.
The court heard, however, that although Sam May had reported his sibling’s concerning behaviour, he had not provided any statement.
Alfie, a former Chatham Town, Hythe Town, Doncaster Rovers and Charlton Athletic player who in 2024 was named EFL Player of the Year, also became a victim of Dane’s stalking behaviour from November 2023.
This included numerous unwanted and abusive calls, often between the hours of 9pm and 4am when fuelled by drink and drugs.
His concerns were such that when he moved away from Kent he did not tell his brother his new address.
‘Do you not get how dangerous I am? Tonight you can die with me…’
Then, after his career took him to Birmingham City, Dane threatened to hurt him and his children as well as destroy his marriage with lies he referred to as “dirty secrets”.
The defendant would also threaten to find out where he lived and would call his brother’s wife when playing football away from home.
“He expressed resentment at Alfie and Sam’s happy and successful lives, with both brothers having careers, families and family homes,” said Mr Benson.
“Dane suggested he would put an end to it all.”
In what was said to be an act of “remarkable restraint and compassion”, Alfie encouraged his brother to seek help and appealed to his better nature, added the prosecutor, telling him that “deep down you are a good person”.
However, his fear of what could happen was so great that he and his wife installed cameras, alarms and smoke deterrents at their home and discussed escape routes in case Dane showed up to carry out his threats.
Their mother, Mrs Rawlings, also received unwanted and threatening calls. The court heard she had previously been a victim of her son’s harassment in 2014, which led to his conviction for common assault and using violence to gain entry.
On March 12 last year, she learnt that Dane had threatened he was “coming to kill her”, and a month later, he turned up at her address while she was away in London.
Speaking to his mum through her Ring doorbell, he told her he would “burn the house down”.
Matters finally came to a head on April 30 when Dane May, motivated by the wrong belief statements had been provided to police, “decided to make good on the previous threats made,” said Mr Benson.
Dane flew a drone over his brother’s house to see if he was in. Photo: istock
At about 4pm, he phoned Sam May “screaming, shouting and threatening”. Then, at 6pm, he phoned again, telling his brother he would kill him.
This prompted Sam May to make his first of several calls to police that evening, stating he was worried about his sibling coming to his home and causing him and his family harm.
Mrs Rawlings also received a number of calls, believed to be from Dane using a withheld number, added the prosecutor.
On that same date, Alfie was preparing for an evening match against Blackpool when he too was contacted by his brother.
The nature of the call led the footballer to phone Sam to warn him he was “in imminent danger”, said Mr Benson.
He also learnt an angry and intoxicated Dane May had contacted two of his [Sam May] employees saying he would “finish off” his brother.
In response to that alert, the court was told Sam May tried to “encourage” the police once more to attend his home.
At 10pm, Alfie told Sam their brother had phoned to say he was “on his way to kill him”, prompting Sam to again call police.
But before any officers arrived, Dane May was at the gates, screaming to be let in, snorting cocaine and telling his brother “I promise you, your time has come”.
He then tried to kick his way through the large glass doors but only caused one to bow and damaged the frame, the court was told.
Undeterred, Dane May then tried to smash his way in using a garden chair. Having again failed, he armed himself with a paving stone and struck the back door with it three times, causing it to give way on the final blow.
‘He shouted at the officers, questioning why they hadn’t taken him more seriously when he called police earlier that evening…’
He then entered the house through the smashed door, still carrying the slab.
While all this was going on, Sam May was on the phone to police, the prosecutor said.
He could be heard repeatedly shouting “Stop” and urging his wife, who had sought refuge upstairs with their child, to also call for help.
An enraged Dane then kicked or stamped on his brother’s thigh while holding the paving stone at head height.
“Sam May was petrified and to protect himself punched out at the defendant,” said Mr Benson. “He described having a fight, with the defendant being ‘as strong as an ox’.
“But he [Sam May] overpowered him, put him to the ground, the slab fell to the ground, and he kicked and punched him numerous times to neutralise the fight.”
Sam May then called for his wife to bring down a dressing gown cord to tie him up and he was restrained.
Police finally arrived to be met by an “extremely upset” victim.
“He shouted at the officers, questioning why they hadn’t taken him more seriously when he called police earlier that evening,” Mr Benson told the court.
In the aftermath, and once under arrest, the defendant could be heard “whimpering and apologising”. He also suffered a seizure and required treatment from paramedics.
Sam May was said to be in emotional turmoil, shocked and frightened by his brother’s actions but still concerned for him.
In his subsequent victim impact statement, he told police that his family was left “terrified”, and what was meant to be their “forever home” had been put up for sale.
The case was heard at Maidstone Crown Court. Photo: KM Media
“I have very little energy left when speaking about what happened. I hope this is the end of it all,” he wrote.
“Even 10 months on, I’m still massively affected by what he has done…I dread what will happen when Dane comes out of prison.
“I hope by then I will be protected, with him not knowing where I am or how to contact me.”
Alfie May, who signed for Huddersfield Town in July last year, told police he believed he “bore the brunt” of the abuse being the youngest of four brothers and “likely to offer least resistance”.
Their mum, in her impact statement, said her son’s behaviour made the family “all feel in danger” and that she had had to change her “entire life” to stay safe.
This included moving with her husband away from Kent “so Dane won’t find us”.
But, explaining how she still lived in fear of her son, she added: “He often threatened he would get others to hurt us.
“It makes me nervous as to who is around and if they are going to carry out something Dane has got them to do.
“This is no way to live my life. I have had to create a whole new life to feel safe but I still feel Dane is looming over us.
“My sons blame themselves and there are so many emotions I see them going through.
“Even today writing my statement I can feel an anxiety building, which only comes when I remember what happened and speak to people about it.
“I hope one day we can all move on from what has happened to a brighter future.”
‘I have had to create a whole new life to feel safe but I still feel Dane is looming over us….’
May, of Edington Way, West Malling, initially denied the charges but pleaded guilty on what was the first day of his trial in December last year.
Sentencing was due to take place on March 3 but had to be adjourned for a psychiatric report to be obtained.
At his next court appearance on May 22, defence counsel Kieran Brand acknowledged the defendant’s poor mental health was exacerbated by his use of class A drugs in “misguided efforts” to “numb the pain” of his childhood trauma.
But he said that while on remand since arrest, the structured prison environment had enabled May to focus on addressing his offending behaviour and substance misuse while remaining drug-free.
Such was the improvement was that the defendant had described himself as “feeling his most stable ever”, added the barrister.
“The work he has done has been of great benefit to him, and for the first time he is now accepting that he has no one else to blame for these offences but himself,” explained Mr Brand.
“That is work he will continue to do and is keen to carry on when he is ultimately released from custody.”
The court also heard that May has established his own foodbank charity within prison to help fellow inmates without funds or suffering poor mental health.
Such was its success, said Mr Brand, that it was not only awaiting governor approval to become a recognised scheme but was one the defendant intended to build on by working with offenders experiencing drug and psychiatric problems upon his release.
May was also said to now be on stable medication and made no attempt to contact his victims.
“This is quite a different Dane May to the person who committed this ugly, serious set of offences,” added the lawyer.
“He is someone who has done much work on himself, is motivated to change, and has demonstrated he can do so.”
With the sentencing hearing having then been adjourned again due to lack of court time, May appeared in the dock on Thursday (June 4) to learn his fate.
In deciding the appropriate punishment, Judge Catherine Moore told him she had taken into account all that had been said on his behalf, including his childhood experiences, diagnoses of PTSD and an emotionally unstable personality disorder, and progress made since his arrest.
But she said notwithstanding his mental health issues, he was able to understand the nature and consequences of his “persistent and premeditated” conduct and make rational choices.
Furthermore, his messages and threats – some “extreme in nature” added the judge – were intended to maximise distress, and his behaviour had caused Sam May in particular to make “considerable” changes to his life, including selling his home.
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Deciding that due to the continuing significant risk of serious harm he posed it was necessary to impose a 10-and-a-half year extended sentence for public protection, Judge Moore told the defendant: “It is quite clear your behaviour terrorised your family members and you have left them petrified.
“The impact of your actions continues to resonate for each of them even though you remain in custody.”
May’s sentence comprises a seven-and-a-half year jail term – of which he must serve two-thirds before the parole board can consider his release – and a licence period extension of three years.
Judge Moore also said that it was “a rare case” given the nature and timeframe of the abuse suffered when an indefinite restraining order should be imposed
This bans May from contacting the victims and going to any address or educational establishment at which they reside or attend.
He is also excluded from going to Doncaster, Huddersfield and any football ground where Alfie May is present.
None of the victims attended the hearing.
